Do we have any Orthopedic Surgeons here?

Mike, I am not a doctor but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night.
1. Pay to have your driveway plowed. Have a neighborhood kid to it for $20. Trust me, I will never in my life clear snow, and i am by no mean wealthy. Seriously, I would drive a Yugo before I would ever shovel snow, and I live in Wisconsin.
2. Get the surgery so you can have an enjoyable spring/summer. There will always be recovery time with any type of joint surgery. There is no better time than winter in my opinion.

I too have a bad shoulder ( and a bad back hence the shoveling disorder) and I am really putting it off, but there will come a time when I will have to get it fixed and winter will most certinaly get it taken care of.

Take care,
Brian

 

I formerly practiced physical therapy so I may be able to provide some "internet" insight but first I have a couple of questions:

1. Have you had any diagnostic tests? MRI, X-rays and what were the results?

2. Have ever had an AC separation? Is the AC joint more pronounced ( stick up further) on the affected side more than the uninvolved side?

3. What surgery are you considering? I am assuming a resection on the distal clavicle.

Now for some general info. Post distal clavicle resection you more than likely will go through physical therapy. The most important thing is to regain range of motion. Strength will always come back but if range of motion ( ROM ) is not normalized it will lead to bigger problems like adhesive capsulitis ( frozen shoulder ) and/or impingement syndrome.

The rehab is fairly straight forward, although uncomfortable at times as the shoulder complex has an immense amount of nerve innervation.

I hope this helps and I would be more than happy to answer any questions but your first line of information should be your surgeon as they are able to physically examine you.

Good luck

 

amputate.

-1

 

1) I recommend taking advice from people on the internet.

(Ok, no, I really dont. Why not go see the MD in your town?)

 

1. Cortisone can work wonders if the only cause of the pain is inflammation. If there is an underlying biomechanical issue cortisone won't change that. It sounds as if you have an underlying A/C joint problem.

2. I am fairly certain the procedure for the condition, as you describe it, would be a distal clavicle resection done arthroscopically. This is if that is your only problem. You mentioned a labral injury. Only an MRI would rule out any soft tissue problems like a torn rotator cuff, or labral tear.

3. It is positive to have good strength as good strength can, but not always, rule out a rotator cuff tear.

The most common shoulder problem without having an obvious injury is rotator cuff impingement. This happens when the rotator cuff muscle group gets weak and the individual has increased shoulder pain with overhead motions.

The most common error we do that leads to impingement syndrome is sleeping with our arms over our heads and repetitive overhead movements ( shoulder press ). This "impinges" the rotator cuff tendon between the humeral head and the acromion process leading to inflammation of the tendon.

I used to tell people who were considering surgery that is they could do ALL of the activities they wanted and deal with the discomfort that comes from it ( a day or so of ice/antinflammatories) then it is not time for surgery. If they could not perform ALL of the wanted activities or deal with the post activity pain it is time to consider the next step.

This info is general at best and as DrStangelove and I have suggested the specifics of your condition/treatment are best left with you and your treating physician.